Soil Rejuvenation in Mauritius

Mauritius is a tropical island of volcanic origin. The high altitudes attained lead to wide variation in precipitation. To windward, and on the higher altitudes this precipitation may be very high; to leeward, protected by the intervening heights, low precipitation is found. There is, too, only a slight difference in temperature at all altitudes. In the regions of higher precipitation, therefore, the conditions are favorable for a rapid depletion of the soils and the parent basaltic matrix in such areas has broken down, leaving lateritic soils which are very infertile.

Information for the Application of Silicate Rock Dust for the Amelioration of Forest Soils

This report contains information for “fertilization with rock dust” with an orientation towards practical application. The widely used term “gesteinsmehl” will be limited here to pulverized rocks of silicate origin.

Preliminary Results for the Soil Remineralization Forestry Trials On Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina

This is a brief summary of our preliminary experimental data regarding the effects of Planters II on the growth and survival of red spruce and Fraser fir. As a brief introduction, I would state that red spruce and Fraser fir are the boreal montane ecosystem species here in the high Appalachians of the northeastern and southeastern U.S. These tree have undergone tremendous stress via air pollution over the past several decades and, indeed, certain air-borne and satellite surveys have indicated that as much as 40 percent of this ecosystem has already died.

Rocks for Crops: Agrominerals of sub-Saharan Africa.

A productive and sustainable agricultural system is fundamental to the well being of a nation and a cornerstone of its development. In most of sub-Saharan Africa, more than 50% of the population rely on agriculture for their livelihood, which generally contributes more than 30% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Agriculture is the major source of income, employment, food security and survival for the majority of the population. While agricultural production is steadily increasing in sub-Saharan Africa, the population is growing faster than food production. The result is a net decline in per-capita food production, which contributes to increased food ...